Rapid triage and transfer system for patients with proven Covid-19 at emergency department.
J Appl Biomed
; 22(1): 59-65, 2024 Mar.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38505971
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
COVID-19 is a viral disease notorious for frequent worldwide outbreaks. It is difficult to control, thereby resulting in overload of the healthcare system. A possible solution to prevent overcrowding is rapid triage of patients, which makes it possible to focus care on the high-risk patients and minimize the impact of crowding on patient prognosis.METHODS:
The triage algorithm assessed self-sufficiency, oximetry, systolic blood pressure, and the Glasgow coma scale. Compliance with the triage protocol was defined as fulfillment of all protocol steps, including assignment of the correct level of care. Triage was considered successful if there was no change in the scope of care (e.g., unscheduled hospital admission, transfer to different level of care) or if there was unexpected death within 48 hours.RESULTS:
A total of 929 patients were enrolled in the study. Triage criteria were fulfilled in 825 (88.8%) patients. Within 48 hours, unscheduled hospital admission, transfer to different level of care, or unexpected death occurred in 56 (6.0%), 6 (0.6%), and 5 (0.5%) patients, respectively. The risk of unscheduled hospital admission or transfer to different level of care was significantly increased if triage criteria were not fulfilled [13.1% vs. 76.1%, RR 5.8 (3.8-8.3), p < 0.001; 0.5% vs. 5.2%, RR 11.4 (2.3-57.7), p = 0.036, respectively].CONCLUSION:
The proposed algorithm for triage of patients with proven COVID-19 is a simple, fast, and reliable tool for rapid sorting for outpatient treatment, hospitalization on a standard ward, or assignment to an intensive care unit.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
COVID-19
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Appl Biomed
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
República Tcheca